Explained: How to Do Visual Search on Bing Chat


The evolution of search technology using visual search has revolutionized how we interact with information. As a long-time technology geek and data analyst, I‘m fascinated by the potential of visual search to enhance and expand the way we discover and analyze information.

In this comprehensive explanation guide from my perspective as an AI and data expert, we‘ll explore the innovative visual search capabilities introduced in Bing Chat. I‘ll share my views on the implications of this technology, along with insightful research, data, and analysis. My goal is to provide a detailed, helpful guide written in a friendly tone that empowers you to fully utilize visual search. Let‘s dive in!

A Brief History of Visual Search: From Jennifer Lopez to AI

As a prelude, unexpected moments sometimes collide to shape innovation. Jennifer Lopez‘s iconic green Versace dress at the 2000 Grammys paved the way for Google Image Search by exposing the need to search by images. Since then, visual search capabilities have rapidly advanced through AI.

Key Milestones:

• 2001 – Google Images launches, allowing text-based image search
• 2011 – Google Goggles introduces mobile visual search
• 2018 – Pinterest releases Lens visual search for home decor and fashion
• 2019 – Google Lens integrates visual search into Google Photos and Assistant
• 2023 – Bing Chat introduces visual search powered by next-gen AI

In my opinion as a technologist, these innovations demonstrate the tremendous progress in AI-driven visual search. The technology has evolved from basic image search to advanced recognition and discovery of visual data. As AI capabilities improve, the potential grows for visual search to transform how we explore the world.

What is Visual Search and Why Does it Matter?

Simply put, visual search allows you to search using images instead of keywords. But it‘s far more powerful than traditional image search. Advanced AI can now identify, understand, and derive insights from visual inputs.

Key Capabilities:

• Object recognition – identify objects, products, landmarks
• Text extraction – detect and extract text in images
• Similarity mapping – find visually similar images and products
• Attribute detection – determine color, style, material, etc.
• Concept matching – understand context and meaning of images

This unlocks a new dimension of discovery from the visual world. According to an IPSOS survey, 63% of consumers are interested in visual search for shopping and travel. Retailers report conversion lifts of up to 30% from visual search.

As an AI expert, I‘m most excited by the future possibilities as the technology improves. Visual search has untapped potential for:

• Frictionless shopping experiences
• Enhanced visual data analysis
• Breakthroughs in accessibility
• Augmented reality applications
• Contextual understanding of images
• Creativity and inspiration

Current Leaders in Visual Search:

• Google Lens – the most advanced general purpose visual search
• Pinterest Lens – specialized for shopping
• Amazon StyleSnap – shop looks from social media images
• Bing Visual Search – integrated into Bing Chat using AI

Bing Visual Search demonstrates Microsoft‘s push into next-gen AI. Let‘s take a deeper look at how it works.

Inside Bing Chat Visual Search: The AI Behind it

Launched in February 2023, Visual Search is one of the standout features of the new Bing Chat experience powered by an AI system called Prometheus.

Technical Details:

• Built on OpenAI‘s GPT-4 language model
• Leverages computer vision AI for image recognition
• Processes visual data on Azure infrastructure
• Designed for multi-modal queries (text + image)
• Optimized for conversational interaction

This allows Bing Chat to understand and respond to natural language questions paired with images. The AI analyzes the image, extracts context and attributes, then derives helpful answers and information.

According to Microsoft, under the hood Visual Search uses an ensemble of neural networks. Let‘s break this down:

• Object detection model – identifies objects and regions of interest in the image.
• Scene understanding model – categorizes the type of scene and extracts contextual clues.
• OCR module – detects and extracts any text in the image.
• Attribute model – determines color, style, material and other attributes.
• Similarity engine – finds visually similar images and products.
• Language model – understands the natural language query and response.

Together this provides a sophisticated multimodal search experience powered by AI. As a technologist, I‘m impressed by the engineering here. The AI research required to make this possible is remarkable.

Of course, there is still room for improvement as the technology advances. But Bing Chat Visual Search represents a major leap forward in contextual visual understanding by AI systems.

Real-World Use Cases: The Possibilities of Visual Search

Now that we‘ve looked under the hood, let‘s explore some real-world examples of using visual search:

Everyday Questions and Discovery

In daily life, visual search can instantly answer common questions. Out bird watching and want to identify a species? Snap a photo and Visual Search can provide the name and information. Curious about an unfamiliar plant or landmark while traveling? Visual search makes it easy to learn more about objects around you.

Shopping and Fashion

Finding inspiration for your personal style just got easier. Spot a look you love on social media or in public? Use visual search to shop the exact items or similar fashion pieces. This helps brands reach customers through visual inspiration. According to an Oracle report, 91% of Gen Z finds visual search appealing for shopping.

Research and Data Analysis

Need to analyze images and graphs for a presentation? Visual search can extract text, data points, and context. As a data analyst, this excites me as a huge time-saver for understanding charts or diagrams. The AI can surface insights I would have manually extracted before.

Travel and Navigation

Having a contextual understanding of landmarks and locations is hugely valuable when exploring a new place. Just snap a photo to learn about attractions, restaurants, history and more. Visual search can be an always-available travel guide.

Accessibility

For the visually impaired, visual search coupled with screen reader technology opens new doors for translating the visual world into accessible insights. Early applications are emerging in this space.

The possibilities are vast. As both the AI and real-world usage evolves, I expect visual search will become a ubiquitous tool integrated into our daily lives.

Next, let‘s walk through how to use Visual Search in Bing Chat step-by-step.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Visual Search in Bing Chat

Ready to start exploring Visual Search for yourself? Here is a simple walkthrough to get started:

Access Bing Chat

First, open the Bing webpage on your desktop or mobile device. Look for the "Chat" icon in the top right to open the chat interface.


On mobile, you may need to download the Bing app from your device‘s app store.

Initiate a Visual Search

To begin a visual search, you have two options:

1. Upload an Image

Click the camera icon in the chat box to upload an image from your device. You can also paste an image or drag and drop one into the chat.

2. Take a Photo

On mobile, tap the camera icon then take a photo directly within the chat interface.


Ask a Question

Once your image uploads, type a question related to the image. For example:

• "What breed of dog is this?"
• "Where was this photo taken?"
• "What furniture style is this?"

Keep questions clear and concise. The AI will analyze the image to provide the most helpful response.

Review the Response

Bing Chat‘s AI assistant will process the image and return information, links, and followup questions. The response quality depends on the image and question – you may need to refine for best results.


And that‘s it! With those few simple steps you can unlock the capabilities of visual search.

Tips for Better Results

Here are a few tips from my experience using Visual Search in Bing Chat:

• Frame clear images in good lighting without too much background.
• Ask specific questions about the main subject of the image.
• Try rephrasing the question if you don‘t get helpful responses.
• Use high-resolution images whenever possible.
• For products, choose catalog-like shots over artistic photos.
• Test Visual Search across a variety of image types and questions.

Have fun exploring all that Visual Search can do! The AI is still evolving, so don‘t be afraid to experiment.

The Future of Visual Search – What‘s Next?

Visual search has made incredible progress, but in my view as a technologist this is just the beginning. Here are some exciting directions this technology could head next:

• Smarter AI – More accurate object recognition, detail extraction, and contextual understanding.

• Multimodal integration – Combining visual search with audio, video, and other inputs.

• Augmented reality – Blending visual search into an interactive real-world view.

• Personalization – Providing results tailored to the user‘s preferences and context.

• In-image interaction – Allowing clicks or taps on areas of an image to refine the search.

• 3D object search – Recognizing and deriving insights from 3D scans or models.

• Vertical expansion – Specialized visual search for industries like medical, real estate, engineering, etc.

The dream is an AI assistant that can see and understand the visual world as well as humans can. We still have a long way to go, but technology like Bing‘s Visual Search brings that vision closer.

I‘m eager to see what comes next as researchers continue innovating in computer vision and multimodal AI systems. One thing is clear – visual search is revolutionizing how we find, use, and interact with information.

Conclusion: The Exciting Potential of Visual Search

In this guide, we explored the genesis of visual search, dug into how Bing Chat‘s new capabilities work, saw real-world examples, and discussed where the technology could go next.

Key takeaways:

• Visual search repurposes images from inspiration to information using AI.
• Bing Chat introduces new multimodal search combining images and natural language.
• The possibilities span shopping, research, travel accessibility, and more.
• Visual search stands to revolutionize our relationship with information.

While still early stage, visual search delivers a glimpse at the exciting potential of AI. I highly recommend trying Bing Chat‘s new visual capabilities yourself. We‘re just beginning to grasp the possibilities of search enhanced by computer vision and deep learning.

What are your thoughts on visual search? How do you envision using it in your daily life? I welcome your perspectives as this technology continues maturing. Together, our collective creativity and analysis will shape the future as visual search helps propel society forward.